Joe Berninger spoke to Kingston North Kitsap Rotarians by Zoom at their meeting Wednesday, Jun 30. Who is Joe? He is a Cincinnati Rotarian, and a Board Member of Guatemala Literacy Project. The Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) is a network of 
individual Rotarians, Rotary clubs and districts, and the nonprofit organization Cooperative for Education (CoEd) with a common interest in improving education for underserved students in Guatemala. It is one of the largest grassroots, multi-club, multi-district projects in Rotary, with over 600 participating clubs since 1997. It has served the educational needs of more than 55k kids, primarily in rural villages, in Guatemala. Their active programs include textbook projects, reading programs, and computer centers, reaching out to some of the most literacy-disadvantaged kids in the hemisphere.
Berninger explained most kids there may get to the 6th grade level, but then drop out because they are needed at home. They are not encouraged to go further by parents who, themselves, have not passed 6th grade. Through Rise Scholarships, kids go on to graduate from 12th grade. The scholarships are paid back by the kids doing community service in their local villages. And when they graduate 12th they go on to positions like teachers, bankers, and the like, thus breaking the cycle of illiteracy. Support for one Rise Scholarship costs $960 per year.
Before the Guatemala Literacy Project was launched 25-years ago, two of three citizens could not read or write. Currently only one in three are illiterate. Info at: www.guatemalaliteracy.org.